Category: Data

I’ve been asked to share data on Texas police shootings at the upcoming MEASURE Austin conference and with advocacy organizations in Austin. Here is the report I’m sharing: Shootings by and of Texas law enforcement officers, 2015 – present Two years ago, Texas lawmakers passed a law that made the state one of the most transparent in the country in tracking officer-involved shootings. Each time an […]

The slaying of a Texas Tech University police officer marks the fourth shooting death of a Texas peace officer this year, according to reports filed with the Texas Attorney General’s office. “Words can’t express how saddened I am by the tragic loss of one of our Texas Tech University police officers tonight,” read a statement released by Robert Duncan, chancellor of the Texas Tech System, […]

As of July 1, we now have 21 months of reports from law enforcement in Texas on shootings of and by officers. This is thanks to a groundbreaking 2015 law in the Lone Star State that requires the one-page reports, and a tweak to that law in 2017 to fine departments that fail to file their reports. What follows are a few graphics regarding the […]

On a long day filled with emotional debate over bathroom access and property taxes, there wasn’t much fuss over a Texas lawmaker’s bill that would hold law enforcement agencies accountable for not properly reporting officer-involved shootings to the state. Under the pink dome early Tuesday morning, Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, presented HB 245, which would add teeth to the reporting requirement. He told the House Homeland Security and […]

First in early February came the story about a dozen fatal officer-involved shootings that weren’t being reported properly to the state. After another round of inquiries, agencies then filed 10 of the missing reports, I then reported a couple of weeks later. Now as the month comes to a close, the Associated Press has reported on Point of Impact’s work, noting: “Attention was drawn to […]

A dozen officer-involved shootings since September 2015 have not been properly reported to the state attorney general, apparently violating a groundbreaking new Texas law aimed at enhancing transparency in the often-high-profile incidents. At least 12 Texas law enforcement agencies failed to report 10 instances of an officer fatally shooting a civilian, according to an analysis of reports filed through Jan. 31. In some of those […]

Completing our Labor Day weekend rollout, the San Antonio Express-News ran our introductory story on the front page Tuesday, Sept. 6. Read the story here, and refresh/search online if you can’t read the full story – like the Chronicle, the Express-News keeps some content behind a paywall. To explore demographic information on the shootings, check out the graphics below. View/search document collection

The Houston Chronicle ran a version of our first story on the front page on Monday, Sept. 5. It highlights some numbers specific to Houston, a city that has seen far more officer-involved shootings than others in Texas over the past 12 months. Read the story here, and refresh/search online if you can’t read the full story – the Chronicle keeps some content behind a paywall. To explore demographic […]

Interactions between the public and law enforcement, along with race relations and use of force concerns, are major concerns among society these days. That concern is reflected in the media, which is now covering these issues like never before. Point of Impact is focusing on the unarmed people who are shot by law enforcement in Texas. The Texas Tribune’s series, “Unholstered,” examines police shootings in […]

Texas’ new law also requires law enforcement to report to the Texas attorney general when an officer was shot. According to the reports filed with the state, 21 officers were shot, including four who were killed. However, the tally does not include the fatal shootings of Dallas Area Rapid Transit Officer Brent Thompson or Euless Police Department Officer David Stefan Hofer. Neither of their deaths had been […]